Anti-Yo antibody-positive paraneoplastic cerebellar degeneration in a patient with possible cholangiocarcinoma:A case report and review of the literature

Paraneoplastic cerebellar degeneration(PCD),which is rare in clinical practice,is closely related to autoimmunity.Cases positive for anti-Yo antibodies(anti-Purkinje cytoplasmic antibody 1)are the main subtype of PCD.PCD is subacute cerebellar degeneration,and while it progresses over weeks to months,its resultant deficits last much longer.Cancer patients with anti-Yo antibody-positive PCD are very rare.Most of them are breast cancer or ovarian cancer patients but also occasionally lung cancer patients.CASE SUMMARY A 61-year-old woman presented with sudden vertigo,nausea,and vomiting for approximately 10 d.The patient's neurological examination showed torsion with downbeat nystagmus and ataxia of the right limb and trunk.Laboratory examination found that the patient's cerebrospinal fluid and serum were anti-Yo antibody-positive,positron emission tomography computed tomography showed an increased metabolic rate in the retroperitoneal lymph nodes,and the pathology of lymph node punctures in the retroperitoneum and neck suggested adenocarcinoma of the pancreaticobiliary duct,which strengthens the hypothesis of paraneoplastic origin.Intravenous immunoglobulin(IVIg)0.4 g/kg/d for 5 d and methylprednisolone 160 mg for 3 d were initiated,which was reduced to 80 mg for 3 d and then to 40 mg for 7 d.After treatment with IVIg and a steroid,the patient's vertigo and ataxia alleviated.CONCLUSION The patient's vertigo and ataxia alleviated after treatment,suggesting that early immunotherapeutic intervention may have certain value in stopping neurological loss.

Arabidopsis AT-hook Protein TEK Positively Regulates the Expression of Arabinogalactan Proteins for Nexine Formation

Nexine 是花粉墙的保存的层。我们以前报导 nexine 层在经由在钩(TEK ) 基因的 Arabidopsis TRANSPOSABLE 元素 SILENCING 的猛烈异种是不在的。在这研究，我们在花粉开发调查了 TEK 的分子的规章的功能并且识别了作为 TEK 的直接目标编码 Arabinogalactan 蛋白质(AGP ) 的基因，它为 nexine 形成是必要的。tek 和 TEK-SRDX 的 Phenotypic 类似转基因的线建议 TEK 在花药开发在 transcriptional 激活起一个作用。Microarray 分析在 tek 识别了 661 基因 downregulated 的一个总数，包括编码 AGP， AGP6， AGP11， AGP23，和 AGP40 的四基因。Electrophoretic 活动性移动试金证明 TEK 能直接绑原子矩阵附件区域(3 月) 和 AGP6 的倡导者。PCR 分析跟随的染色质 immunoprecipitation 证明 TEK 在四 AGP 基因的倡导者被充实。TEK 倡导者在 tek 驾驶的 AGP6 的表示部分救了 nexine 形成和植物富饶。这些结果显示 TEK 直接在花药调整 AGP 表示控制 nexine 层形成。我们也建议 glycoproteins 可能是在花粉墙中的 nexine 层的必要部件。

Combination of olfactory test and substantia nigra transcranial sonopraphy in the differential diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease:a pilot study from China

Objectives:Both hyposmia and substania nigra(SN)hyperechogenicity on trascranial sonography(TCS)were risk markers for idiopathic Parkinson’s disease(PD),which was beneficial to the differential diagnosis of the disease.However,each of their single diagnostic value is often limited.The purpose of present study was to explore whether the combination of olfactory test and TCS of SN could enhance the differential diagnostic power in Chinese patients with PD.Methods:Thirty-seven patients with PD and twenty-six patients with essential tremor(ET)were evaluated on 16-item odor identification test from extended version of sniffin’sticks and TCS of SN.The frequency of hyposmia and SN hyperechogenicity in each group was compared.The sensitivity,specificity,positive predictive value(PPV)and negative predictive value(NPV)of the two clinical biomarkers were analyzed.Results:The frequency of hyposmia in patients with PD was significantly higher than in patients with ET(62.2%VS.3.8%,P=0.000).The frequency of SN hyperechogenicity in patients with PD was significantly higher than in ET subjects(48.6%VS.15.4%,P=0.006).The combination of hyposmia and SN hyperechogenicity(if either one or both present)discriminated patients with PD from ET with a sensitivity of 78.4%and 29.7%,specificity of 80.8%and 100%,PPV of 85.3%and 100%,and NPV of 72.4%and 50.0%,respectively.Conclusions:Our preliminary data suggested that the combination of hyposmia and SN hyperechogenicity could improve the diagnostic potential for discriminating Chinese patients with PD from ET.

A cellular mechanism underlying the restoration of thermo/photoperiod-sensitive genic male sterility

During anther development,the transformation of the microspore into mature pollen occurs under the pro-tection of first the tetrad wall and later the pollen wall.Mutations in genes involved in this wall transition often lead to microspore rupture and male sterility;some such mutants,such as the reversible male sterile(rvms)mutant,are thermo/photoperiod-sensitive genic male sterile(P/TGMS)lines.Previous studies have shown that slow development is a general mechanism of P/TGMS fertility restoration.In this study,we iden-tified restorer of rvms-2(res2),which is an allele of QUARTET3(QRT3)encoding a polygalacturonase that shows delayed degradation of the tetrad pectin wall.We found that MS188,a tapetum-specific transcrip-tion factor essential for pollen wall formation,can activate QRT3 expression for pectin wall degradation,indicating a non-cell-autonomous pathway involved in the regulation of the cell wall transition.Further as-says showed that a delay in degradation of the tetrad pectin wall is responsible for the fertility restoration of rvms and other P/TGMS lines,whereas early expression of QRT3 eliminates low temperature restoration of rvms-2 fertility.Taken together,these results suggest a likely cellular mechanism of fertility restoration in P/TGMS lines,that is,slow development during the cell wall transition of P/TGMS microspores may reduce the requirement for their wall protection and thus support their development into functional pollens,leading to restored fertility.

High thermoelectric properties with low thermal conductivity due to the porous structure induced by the dendritic branching in n-type PbS

PbS-based thermoelectric materials have attracted extensive attention in recent years for the advantages of earth abundancy and low cost,which is considered to be a substitute for traditional PbTe material.However,their high thermal conductivity restricts its development.Hence,in order to improve their thermoelectric performance from reducing the thermal conductivity,a kind of dendritic PbS with controlled crystal grain and morphology are obtained by solution synthesis.By adjusting the amount of surfactant(CTAB),the specific formation process of dendrites is regulated.After sintering,the dendritic PbS nanoparticles are easy to form porous structure due to the overlapping and staggered arrangement of dendritic branches.For comparison,we also prepare a kind of regular octahedral PbS and a dense packing arrangement is formed because of the integrity of the octahedral structure.DFT-based Boltzmann transport equation is used to prove the crucial role of porous structure in scattering phonon.Finally,a maximum zT=1.0 at 773 K in n-type PbS is obtained,which still keep a high-speed growth and is expected to get higher zT value in a higher temperature region.Our work may shed light to other thermoelectric materials from the formation of porous structure to reduce the thermal conductivity.

Application of three-dimensional printed navigation templates to correct lower limb deformities in children by the guided growth technique

Objective Currently,individualized navigation templates are rarely applied in pediatric orthopedic surgery.This study aimed to explore the potential of navigation templates obtained using computer-aided design and three-dimensional(3D)printing to correct lower limb deformities in children by the guided growth technique.Methods We prospectively studied 45 children with leg length discrepancy(LLD)or lower limb angular deformities,who underwent guided growth surgery involving 8-plate.In total,21 and 24 children were included in the navigation template(group A)group and in the traditional surgery(group B)group,respectively.Mimics software was used for designing and printing navigation templates.The operation time,X-ray radiation exposure,damage to cartilage,and postoperative complications were recorded.Results The mean operation time in groups A and B were 20.78 and 28.39 min,respectively,and the difference was statistically significant.Compared with group B,the intraoperative exposure of X-rays in group A was reduced by 25%on average.After 9-24 months of follow-up,the deformities were corrected in both groups.No significant differences in the treatment effect were noted between the groups,and no complications occurred.Conclusions Using the individualized navigation template in the guided growth technique made the surgical procedure convenient and simple to perform.In addition,the operation time and intraoperative exposure to X-rays were reduced.We consider that 3D printed navigation templates can facilitate the accurate completion of corrective surgeries for lower limb deformities in children,which is worthy of promotion and application.